Fidelia Weave's Writing Tips
by LadyCordeliaStuart
Summary: A how-to guide by Fidelia Weave, one of Panem's premiere organizers of collaborative Hunger Games fiction
1. Prologue

Fidelia Weave's Writing Tips

By Fidelia Weave

PROLOGUE:

Hello, everyone! I'm Fidelia Weave. You might recognize the name, but then again, you might not. I'm sort of a little famous? I wouldn't say I'm really famous. I don't get recognized on the street. I've actually never been recognized at all. My stories aren't best-sellers. I have to admit they're only average in quality. But among a very small niche fanbase, I'm sort of mediocre famous. It's enough that I'm able to make a modest living here in the Capitol.

How about a little background? I was born in the Capitol. Unfortunately, I was sadly below average. Most people here are glamorously wealthy, but my family was just sort of lower-class. I would have actually had to work in order to support myself. However, I discovered at a young age that I am very lazy. That's where the Hunger Games comes in.

It's a commonly accepted if somewhat ghastly truth that Capitol children like to play mock Hunger Games. They all make a pretend character and make complex role-playing games where they collectively decide on placings and winners. I'm really not so much a writer as an organizer, since I don't come up with the characters in my stories. I also don't come up with a lot of the events in the stories, since I am a shameless plagiarist and steal ideas from other stories all the time. I just make sure the books I use are so old they're public domain. Legally it's not plagiarism. It's an _homage._ Anyway, I applied my elementary writing skills and started to offer my services as a role-playing headmaster of sorts. I do the actual writing and distribute our collective adventures in serial form. I don't charge a set amount, but my readers enjoy my stories enough that they donate funds, enough that I can do this for a living. It's a win-win. They get stories, I get to be lazy.

At this point, I've had a lot of experience. I've written seventeen collective Hunger Games adventures, as well as a handful of related one-off stories. I've written characters of all sorts and Arenas of all kinds. I've dealt with every sort of contributor and even incorporated other stories. It's gotten to the point where I consider myself knowledgeable enough to write a story about writing stories. Many great authors write handbooks for aspiring young writers. I'm not a great author, but I'm going to do it anyway, since Panem is a free country and I love it very much, especially all the politicians!

There are countless ways to write collaborative Hunger Games stories. My style is only one style. Nothing in here is definitive, so any callow young writer can take what she likes and leave what she doesn't. I plan on publishing multiple editions of this book, so please feel free to suggest additions for future editions. Thanks for reading, thanks for your money, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **Fourth wall? What's that? Anyway, I've been wanting to do this for a long time, but I didn't want to break any rules. Thus I went meta. It's not a guide, it's a guide written by a Hunger Games character set inside the Hunger Games world! I'll just be writing this in-between SYOT chapters when I have time or I'm waiting for votes.**


	2. Chapter One: Names

Fidelia Weave's Writing Tips

Chapter One: Names

Every character begins with a name. This guide is mostly for organizers like me, but I also added some tips for contributors. I don't generally name the characters in my stories, since they're designed by other Capitolites and submitted to my stories for me to write about. However, I do also dabble in submitting, and I occasionally ghost-submit for other organizers who aren't yet popular enough to get all twenty-four Tributes submitted in a timely matter. Furthermore, while I don't usually make names, I definitely have experience reading them. For the benefit both of would-be submitters having a hard time coming up with a name, and frustrated organizers tired of receiving stupid names, I have put together some helpful suggestions.

* * *

Fidelia's Name Tips, Organized By District

District One: Luxury

This one usually isn't that hard. One is the District of all things pretty and shiny. This is one of the Districts that always fills in super fast when I start organizing a story. The female slot is especially desirable, along with the Four female. You're usually pretty safe picking some random gemstone. If you want to be 'fancy', pick a semiprecious stone. Then you won't have to worry about 800 other Tributes with the same name.

You can also go on a different track and use random luxury terms. I've never been to One, but I hear the names are just as crazy in real life.

Examples I've used: Swarovski Waterford, Chrysolite, Azure, Peridot, Estrella

Jewel names for girls: Beryl, Sapphire, Amber, Citrine, Opal, Lapis, Ivory, Selena

Jewel names for boys: Jasper, Jet, Onyx, Obsidian

Luxury names, mostly unisex: Glitz, Glamour, Glissade, Extravagance, Luxe, Silver, Couture... basically anything that sounds fancy. This is probably the District with the most freedom and least shame, so go crazy.

Names to avoid: I've had a lot of fellow organizers tell me they're tired of getting Diamonds and Sparkles. Personally, I imagine there are probably a lot of girls named Diamond in One. It's probably a comically common name, like "Maximus" was here a few years ago, so I think it's a solid name for a Tribute. Not everyone has a unique name, you know? I've only ever gotten one Diamond, so your experience may vary. As for Sparkle, I've only had one. It was spelled differently, and she was from Three. So approach with caution, I guess, but I have no problem with those names.

* * *

District Two: Masonry

District Two is a bit tricky. Most Districts prefer names based on their industries, but Two is a bit contrarian. Ever since their culture developed to embrace the Hunger Games, their naming conventions shifted as well. Most children are named after Capitol trends, drawing from classical Roman or Greek influences. However, some families still prefer masonry-based names, so you can go either way. In addition, many Two names are based on aggressive historical figures. They also seem to match their bearer in many cases, since some families decline to select a permanent name until the child has shown his or her personality.

In terms of popularity, Two fills very quickly. Not usually quite as fast as One, but very quickly, especially the female slot.

Examples I've used: Crag, Cassius, Amazon, Megara, Doris, Shale, Ijolite, Quora

Rock names for girls: Jade, maybe? I got nothing

Rock names for boys: Slate, Cole

Capitol-inspired names for girls: Aquila, Rhea, Boudica, Atalanta, Artemis, Diana, Danae, Sabina

Capitol-inspired names for boys: Attila, Nero, Caligula, Apollo, Mars, Hephaestus, Bellerophon

Names to avoid: I haven't had any problems with Two and I haven't heard from any other organizers who have.

* * *

District Three: Technology

This is one of my favorite Districts, so it's embarrassing that I always have so much trouble making names for them. Three names are usually based on technology, so a submitter's best bet is to look up components of random tech gizmos until they find a cool sounding part.

The Three female always comes quickly. The male can take much longer. I generally get smarter girls than boys. That's probably because more girl Capitolites than boys seem interested in collaborative stories.

Examples I've used: Acee and Deecee Hal

Names for girls: Cathode, Binary, Tera, Zircon, Circe, Curie... Okay, I'm really bad at this. Ask some other organizer.

Names for boys: Ray, Cobalt, Copper, Volt, Tesla. Seriously, as someone else.

Really silly name: Synthia. That's a really stupid name. Don't use that. I just had to write it down because I thought of it and it made me laugh.

Names to avoid: I think it's a little weird when people use random female names that sound cool, like "Siri" or "Cortana". Those might be references to pre-Dark Days stuff that I haven't heard of, though, so it depends on how knowledgeable you are about really old technology.

* * *

District Four: Fishing

Four is one of the easiest Districts for names. People there fish, and they live on the beach. They're often named after ocean stuff or types of fish. You probably don't even really need a guide, but I'll make one anyway.

Four is the single fastest-going District. The Four female is very often the first slot reserved. I think it's because people want their Tribute to have a good chance at winning, but some people think Careers are the 'bad' guys. Four is a Career District, but it's sort of a half-Career District, so Tributes can be trained but still 'nice'.

Names I've used: Shelle, Mahi, Mako

Names for girls: Tetra, Dory, Ilisha, Pearl, Sailor, Foam, Sandy, Nori, Thalassa

Names for boys: Marlin, Pike, Shad, Ray, Tide

Names to avoid: Humuhumunukunukupuaapuaa is pretty long. Maybe don't use that.

* * *

District Five: Power

I always have a hard time with this one, so take these with a grain of salt. How do you make a name related to a power plant? That was just a bad idea on the part of whoever designated the Districts' industries. I shall try to do my best anyway.

After Four, the Districts are about evenly popular.

Names I've used: Soleil, Luna, Gaia, Surge

Names for girls: Dyna, Hydra, Breeze. This one's hard. Ask some other organizer.

Names for boys: Dynamo, Hydro, Volt. Yes, those are the same as the girls' names. You want to fight me?

Names to avoid: I haven't heard many complaints about Five.

* * *

District Six: Transportation

Six is perhaps the hardest District of all for names. What, you going to name your kid after a car? This was just a terrible choice for District. It's not like Six is the only District where things move. The idea of transportation is to move from one place _to another._

Names I've used: Tyra, Doppler, Cab, Lyte (that one was a joke, but it stuck)

Names for girls: Spark, Mirror, Harrier

Names for boys: Axle, Radar, Jet, Otto, Cruise

Names to avoid: This one is so hard I won't turn anything away.

* * *

District Seven: Lumber

It gets way easier from here on out. All of the industries except Eight are outdoors, and they all have a ton of convenient terms. Seven is known for its trees. Trees are known for having pretty names. Pick a tree and you've got a name. Alternatively, be more 'unique' and pick a lumberjack term.

Names I've used: Sequoia, Paul, Leif

Names for girls: Cassia, Wisteria, Hazel, Cherry, Ebony, Sassafras, Willow, Poplar, Myrtle, Sitka, Sienna

Names for boys (many are unisex, really): Elm, Rowan, Douglas, Pine, Fir, Arbor, Axe, Buck, Hodag, Cedar, Hickory

Names to avoid: I've never had this problem, but a lot of organizers tell me they get a _lot_ of Ashes.

* * *

District Eight: Textiles

Eight is one of the easiest Districts for female Tributes. It's a little harder for boys. Due to sadly still-entrenched stereotypes, textiles are often associated with women, so most fabric names are thought of as feminine. For boys, you have to look a little harder. For either gender, you can also take a second option and go with factory terms, since much of Eight is covered in factories.

Names I've used: Page (not gonna lie I have no idea what I was thinking with that one), Drone, Singer Brocade (Singer is a sewing machine brand)

Names for girls: Paisley, Pashmina, Velvet, Taffeta, Tulle, Satin, Ramie, Polly, Esther, Linen, Chiffon, Purl, Leather (unisex), Jean, Ruche

Names for boys: Chintz, Dart, Denim, Rivet, Tuck

Names to avoid: I hear a lot of organizers get a ton of Calicos.

* * *

District Nine: Grain

There are lots of kinds of grain. District Nine also makes some other food products. Basically they make staple foods. That's mostly grain, but there are some other things as well, like potatoes. It's pretty easy to pick a kind of grain and go with that. Sometimes I get a little cheeky and name Tributes after farm implements instead.

Names I've used: Kasha, Spud

Names for girls: Maize, Emmer, Amaranth, Soy, Quinoa, Rain, (I imagine they get a lot of sun in the fields), Avena

Names for boys: Spelt, Rye, Farro, Cyrus, Granger, Tassel, Harvest Flint (it's a kind of corn), Sod, Loam, Silt, Dusty

Names to avoid: I get a _lot_ of complaints that every boy from Nine is named Barley.

* * *

District Ten: Farming

Ten deals mostly in livestock, but stereotypes allow people like me to use just about any farming term. Since so much of Ten is outdoors, there are a lot more possibilities. Lots of times I use wildflowers.

Names I've used: Cornflower, Leather, Bailee

Names for girls: Bess, May, Chianina, Clover, Bluebell, Thistle, Hen, Heather, Kitty, Prairie, Dawn

Names for boys: Angus, Sedge, Colt, Sod, Rooster (okay, that's another really old movie. True Grit is not exactly modern.), Silo, Bison, Merino

Names to avoid: I've heard no complaints about Ten.

* * *

District Eleven: Agriculture

Eleven has one of the most open-ended Districts, and it's probably the easiest of all for names. There are so many plants and gardening terms that the examples are endless. Since there are so many options, try to be creative and pick a less-known plant.

Names I've used: Orchard, Mars

Names for girls: Heather, Hyssop, Sage, Peach, Apple, Marigold, Mint, Fawn, Sorrel, Chickadee, Nightingale, Ivy, Dew, Fern, Chive, Brook, Honey

Names for boys: Chicory, Aster, Lark, Robin (unisex), Martin, Wolf, Dill, Cress, Fisher (the weasel, not the guy who fishes), Hawk, Kestrel

* * *

District Twelve: Mining

Twelve is an anomaly. Mining is its industry, but most names are plant or animal-based. It's one of the more flexible Districts, so just do your best.

Names I've used: Nothing

Names for girls: Anthracite, Columbine, Lupine, Vervain, Celandine, Tansy, Senna, Bryony

Names for boys: Dust, Mattock, Hemp, Sedge, Camphor, Fennel, Campion, Basil

* * *

Capitol

Since most of my readers live here in the Capitol, just like me, we don't need much help with Capitol names. Just in case, I'll remind everyone that most Capitol families like Roman and Greek names. I don't usually have to make many Capitol names, but it does happen.

Names I've used: Jemimah, Phoebe, Exsequia, Luperca, Coriolanus, Titian (okay, those three are real)

Names for girls: Fidelia is a beautiful name. Also Letitia, Felicia, Tallulah, Tsarmina

Names for boys: Otho, Draco, Gaius, Vespasian, Thucydides, Xenophon, Herodotus, Cicero

* * *

So there you have some ideas and inspiration for each District. However, there are some exceptions.

1\. Some families prefer old-fashioned names. Any District can have an old-fashioned name, since some people are just like that. I kid you not, I know an old man named Aiden. Have you ever met an Aidan who wasn't ninety years old? Some old names, like Mary and Michael, are still popular, and some families pass down names.

2\. Some people from Six have Capitol-inspired names. I think it's because people from Six have more contact with Capitolites than other Districts, since they work on the trains that bring us stuff. They have one-night stands with Capitolites, and some Capitolites keep in contact with their children and give them Capitol names.

3\. Four and Twelve both have big Irish populations, and Irish names are still popular there.

4\. Seven has a large First Nations population, and Native names pop up there.

5\. Ten is right on the Panemian border and still has a large Mexican population.

One organizer's great name is another organizer's stupid name, so don't feel stupid if someone doesn't like your name. Some people only accept District-related names, while others think they're trendy and contrived. I, for one, take anything, but I prefer District-related names. I am also fond of pun names. Examples:

Lyte (I got frustrated with Six names and named him after a headlight)

Tyra (tire)

Bailee (hay bale)

Quora (quarry)

Leif (leaf. I'm so clever, right?)

Hyden Hawkins' name is a convoluted Robert Louis Stevenson pun

Acee and Deecee HAL (HAL was a computer in a really old pre-Dark Days movie)


	3. Chapter Two: Forms, part 1

Fidelia Weave's Writing Tips

Chapter Two: Forms

* * *

Part one: Name, age, District, and appearance

If you've ever participated in a collaborative story, you know about forms. Forms are the written record of the character you've invented or will be writing, depending on whether you're a submitter or an organizer. In my thirteen stories, I've received more than 300 forms, so I've pretty much seen it all. I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I'm going to share all three of those with you.

There are a lot of different ways to structure a form. Some organizers have a form they require submitters to use. Personally, I use a flexible system. I allow submitters to use whatever form they want, although I do provide an example form submitters can use if they want. Instead of a set form, I change my example form frequently as I notice things I missed or don't really need.

Below I've provided an example of my example forms. I'll go through each category and list some things I've experienced with each.

FORM:

 **NAME, AGE, AND DISTRICT:** I put these three together because I like it when submitters put them in one line. I copy all forms into my story file so I can see them at all times. If I get a lot of long forms, it makes it tedious to scroll back and forth. Putting these three in one line saves me two lines. I actually edit all forms I receive, cutting redundancies and substituting shorter words where possible.

Names were covered last chapter, so I don't have much more to say. I don't accept or deny Tributes based on names, so it doesn't matter. Some Tributes have stupid names, and some people in real life have stupid names. For example, I know a Dyzek. That is a stupid name.

You can score a lot of brownie points with an organizer with age. A lot of us get swamped with older Tributes, since submitters want their character to have a good chance. I don't mind that, especially since twelve-year-olds rarely get Reaped, but many organizers prefer more variety. If you want to get those brownie points, make your Tribute 15 or under. Many organizers have a cutoff age for Victors. I don't, but I count it against the Tribute if they are younger than fifteen. Fifteen, then, is the sweet spot of having a good chance while not blending in with the million eighteen-year-olds.

If you're submitting to a story organized by one of the better-known writers, you would be wise to include some backup Districts. Some easy substitutions are Three, Five and Six, since they're all urban, Nine and Ten since they're both agrarian, Seven and Eleven since they're both forested, and One and Two since they're both Career Districts. Twelve can also be switched with Eleven or Seven, but it can be slightly more difficult due to the worse poverty in Twelve. If I receive a submission for a filled slot, I actively contact the submitter and see if they can take an alternate District. Very often the only change necessary is a name or a job that doesn't matter anyway.

 **APPEARANCE:**

I usually include this, even though there's no real reason. Appearance very rarely comes into play, and I don't even usually waste time describing it. Some organizers like a very detailed description, but all I need is whatever you want to write. One thing to remember is that Panem is very diverse. Not everyone is white- not even in Eleven. Another thing to remember is that not everyone is pretty. When I submit characters, I like to be helpful and make mine plain or ugly, so the others look better. While Panem has a great deal of diversity, there are some general trends for many Districts.

One: Tributes are often fair-skinned, blonde, and have either green or blue eyes. There is a good reason to make One Tributes pretty, since One is very vain and prefers to send its most attractive contenders to the Arena.

Two: Tributes are more racially diverse than One. There are few significant trends, but many of them have brown hair.

Three: Tributes from Three are often slightly built and ashy-skinned with brown eyes. A lot of them seem to wear glasses, but I think that's just a trend and a lot of those glasses aren't prescription.

Four: Many Four Tributes are tanned from working outside. A lot of them have brown hair and green eyes.

Five: There are no noticeable trends for Five.

Six: There are no noticeable trends for Six

Seven: Tributes from Seven are often muscular from working with lumber.

Eight: There are no noticeable trends for Eight.

Nine: There are no noticeable trends for Nine.

Ten: Due to its proximity to Mexico, Ten has a larger than usual amount of Hispanic and Latino citizens. Tributes are often muscular from farm work.

Eleven: Eleven has the largest Black population of any District.

Twelve: There are two main looks in Twelve. People from the Seam usually have dark hair, green eyes, and olive skin. People from other areas of Twelve often have blonde hair and blue eyes.

Occasionally I do note some elements of appearance. For example, Frankie Disney and Desiree Redwood are both unusually tall. I keep that in mind because it gives them an edge in fights. Pray Jager, meanwhile, is very short, and thus had to use specific fighting strategies. Weight is also important. Lottie Parker was able to withstand more damage than usual because her large frame protected her vital organs.

I get a lot of really short female Tributes. That's okay, but it _does_ make it more exciting when I get a tall one, and I tend to want to keep her around longer for some variety.

Some organizers prefer a picture of what you want your Tribute to look like. I like to get those, since it makes things easier to describe, but I don't care if there isn't one. If you do choose to send one, I suggest you pick someone who isn't super gorgeous. I always get super gorgeous pictures. When I send pictures, I like to send more normal-looking people, Someone's gotta make us ugly people feel better about ourselves. This is totally a personal note, but I would like to go on a tangent and mention one time I got a picture for a Tribute and it was Lily Rose Depp. This would not seem to be a problem except that I hate Johnny Depp so much that whenever I see him I squint and angrily whisper "Depp..." I didn't kill the poor Tribute because of something that petty, though. I just wanted to tell that story.

* * *

 **When you hate Johnny Depp so much you mention him in a story set in a universe where he's ancient history.**

 **Forms are so long and in-depth I decided it needed more than one chapter. Do's and don'ts and controversial things get their own chapter, so this is just a general overview.**

 **P.S. I looked around and Dyzek is a Polish name. If you're Polish or related to Poland or whatever, you cool. If people just pick that to be unique, that's what I was talking about.**


	4. Forms, Part 2

SO. Forms are long. So long it took me two chapters to write about them, and I suspect it will take me longer than that. Let's see what else we have here.

* * *

 **Backstory:**

I get some loopy backstories. I've had people who escaped one District and fled to another, super spies from a secret government organization (I kid you not, that happened twice in two stories fifteen years apart- the same organization, mind you), reincarnations of dead Tributes, a slew of crazy Tributes, and Viking warriors. I haven't had aliens yet, but I'm sure I will. Colorful backstories are good to make stories diverse, but I also welcome normal backstories. When I submit to other creators, I usually make Tributes with boring pasts. It wouldn't be the average District backstory unless most Tributes had it. That's kind of how math works. Generally speaking, the average backstory goes like this:

One, Two, and Four: Careers

Three, Five, Six, and Eight: Factory workers

Seven, Nine, Ten, Eleven: Farmers or lumberjacks

Twelve: Schoolkid or worker of odd jobs, since they can't mine until they're eighteen.

A few things to avoid:

Peacekeeper parents, since that's illegal. I'm not saying all Peacekeepers keep it in their pants, but it's done on the down low.

Super sad neglected orphans: there's plenty of orphans in Panem, and plenty of them are mistreated, but readers don't like it if it's basically pity porn.

Mayor's kid: I actually don't care and think it's cruelly hilarious that the mayor loses a kid every three years, but some creators don't like it.

* * *

 **Token:**

The most common token is a necklace. It's portable, small, and isn't a threat. Tokens aren't usually even important. None is fine, and so is a necklace. Other fun ideas I've seen over the years:

Toys (toy train, wooden ball, toy airplane, plastic cow. These are easy to personalize for each District)

Makeup (that actually was really relevant and displayed the Tribute's personality)

Bottle cap (The Tribute forgot a token and grabbed something random)

Carved bear (Representing the Native Tribute's spirit animal)

One of the Tributes I submitted got a tattoo done by her trainer in lieu of a token.

Different creators have different policies when it comes to useful tokens. I try to role-play as an average minimum-wage security guard when I look them over. I take things like knives away, but I might not notice everything, you know? If you can be creative and think of something that might slip by, sometimes I let it go, and then the Tribute can use it.

* * *

What they trained in: Let's be real here. Imagine going to a class for a week. How much are you going to learn? You're gonna learn the very basics. Don't expect your Tribute to learn past that. There are different strategies here. You can go for a jack of all trades approach, or you can specialize in one thing and maybe get an intermediate grasp on it. Things like archery really aren't possible, but I fudge the numbers a bit so Tributes have a chance of hitting stuff and the story moves faster. No one wants to read about two people missing each other all day.

My suggestions: healing, edible plants, shelter-making and water...finding? Most Tributes die of natural causes in real life.

Things I would avoid: Weapons- you're not going to get enough skill to make it worth your while, especially since you'd have to skip everything else. Your best bet is using a light knife and hoping for the best.

Camouflage- unless you're already good at art.

Knot-tying- why do we even have that station?

The gauntlet- I promise I will not fake you out and make the Arena be a giant obstacle course.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT underestimate your escort! I know they're flighty, but sponsors are a huge part of winning. Consider taking some time to learn some basic speech and etiquette skills. Capitolites dig that stuff. You can either hunt down a bird and eat it raw, or you can have a rich guy send you a cheeseburger.

* * *

Gamemaker session and score: I employ a double-edged policy. I take whatever you send me. If your score is way too high, other readers won't like your character and they'll get killed. Other writers have all sorts of policies, from hard limits based on age or District or whatever to just picking the scores themselves. I see every Tribute as unique and bear in mind their individual situations, but here are some suggested numbers and examples.

0: Tribute either didn't show up or egregriously broke a huge rule. Example: Tribute stripped naked and mooned the Gamemakers

1: Tribute is either laughably incompetent or pissed off the Gamemakers. Example: Tribute shot herself in the hand.

2: Tribute showed complete lack of any skills but wasn't _completely_ stupid. Example: Tribute spent the whole time trying to light a fire and got nothing.

3: Tribute did boring skills and didn't do them well. Example: Tribute spent five minutes tying basic knots.

4: Tribute did boring skills and is probably physically weak. Example: Tribute swiped a knife at a dummy, showing no style.

5: Tribute did an average job at survival skills. Example: Tribute lit a fire and identified some plants

6: Same as 5, but more or better skills showed. Example: Tribute lit a fire and identified more plants

7: Tribute showed competence at a few skills, or Tribute is a very low-level Career. Example: Tribute threw axes and hit the target, ran at a respectable speed, and knew a handful of plants

8: Tribute did well for a non-Career or poorly for a Career. Example: Career that used many weapons but wasn't very good at them.

9: Tribute did exceptionally well for a non-Career or average for a Career. Example: Non-Career with a mastery of a weapon or a very good physique.

10: Tribute is a higher-end Career or a truly exceptional non-Career. Example: Career with mastery of two weapons and demonstration of strategy

11: Exceptional Career. Example: Career knows multiple weapons and also showed survival skills or great charisma.

12: Something once in a lifetime. Example: Career ran a three-minute mile, hit three targets with arrows while backflipping, and lit a match using nunchucks.

Generally, non-Careers get 9 or lower and Careers get 8 or above if I pick. I don't have hard rules, but there are some bonuses and handicaps.

Tributes younger than 14 get about a point lower than a comparable Tribute who is older.

Seven and Eleven Tributes get a boost for their hard labor

* * *

Reaping scene: I get bored of writing the same Reaping scenes, so I like to do a different intro scene that shows the character. Whatever dominates their personality, I show something that highlights that. A bully gets a scene of bullying, a nice Tribute gets a scene about being nice, things like that. Sometimes it's the most important moment in their life, and sometimes it's an everyday moment. Sometimes for Careers it IS a Reaping scene, but more often it's a training scene.

* * *

Parade and interview outfits: I'll make them if none are sent, but I make some tributes have stupid outfits, so beware.

Some ideas and things I've had in the past:

One- Literal jewel costumes, Tributes covered in jewels, generally really pretty dresses embellished with sparkly things. This is the easiest District and usually has the prettiest costumes. However, One is LUXURY, not just jewels, so feel free to branch out. Silks, satins, fancy food, gold dust, things like that. Sometimes the Ones have warrior-themed outfits since they're Careers. Or overlap and do something like an Incan warrior golden outfit.

Two- Usually war-themed, not stone-themed, in my experience. Gladiators, Vikings, Samurai, knights. Or stone armor, if you want to match the District. Do feel free to send some more unique warriors, like Persian Immortals, Jaguar Warriors, Amazonians, Maori, and the like. (Yes not all Maori were warriors, but is the Capitol really racially sensitive?) Personally, I sometimes verge on stereotypes, since I'm writing from the Capitol POV and they can be hella racist.

Three- This one's harder. I usually get sent costumes revolving around wires or lights. Feel free to really go crazy with tech, like that guy on America's Got Talent who projected designs on outfits or something. If I design the outfit, it's usually something stupid like a computer screen helmet or a circuit board. Other ideas include generic lab coats, TRON outfits (it's a REALLY old movie, okay?) cyberpunk outfits, and 8-bit outfits, to go retro.

Four- This depends on if you're creative or literal. I'm literal, so if you have me design a Four outfit, it's probably a fish. The classic costume is either a mermaid or Poseidon. You can go the fisherman route if you don't mind a less glamorous costume. Or you can have a fish costume. This ranges from pretty, like an angelfish, to hideous, like an anglerfish. Other designers are inspired by elements of Four, like netting or the color blue. Iridescent shells and bits of coral can also be used for pretty outfits.

Five- This is one of the harder ones for me. I usually get light-based costumes, since they're the easiest and prettiest. You can go for the generic hard had and jumpsuit, or any power source. Lunar and solar are popular pairs. Or do something crazy like a wind turbine.

Six- This is the hardest one for me. The standby is a racing suit. Otherwise, it's pretty much a car outfit. Or just say your stylist sucks, like some do, and do something random like fireworks.

Seven- Now we're back to the easy ones. The first thing that comes to mind is a tree, which makes me laugh no matter how many times I get it. Or you can do a lumberjack. Otherwise there's the fantastical route. Seven has links to fairy tales, so people gravitate toward fairies, sprites, nymphs, and the like. Mother Nature is a pretty costume, or you can do brown body paint like carved wood. This one isn't much trouble, for better or for worse.

Eight- Heck yeah, their District IS costumes. Literally anything goes. You can use whatever pretty fabric you want, the more the better. If you want to be more meta, you can do a dressmaker's form, a pincushion, or the like. Eight also makes soft toys, so I get some rag dolls and things like that. For Eight, just make sure there's lots of color. Ha ha, maybe do a magic carpet.

Nine- It's easy from here on out. Nine costumes can either be farmers and scarecrows, or they can be grain. Some stylists decorate muslin forms with different grains, and others use the grains as the actual textile. That's super itchy for the Tributes, but who cares about them anyway? If you don't like your Tribute, dress her as a piece of grain. Like, a stalk of wheat or an ear of corn.

Ten- Cows.

Eleven- Eleven and Nine overlap. Eleven costumes tend to be edible, which is always fun. Or you can do the farmer or the tree. Otherwise, any item of food works as a costume, some more cumbersome than others. Or use the berries and fruits to make cool skin dyes. Eleven is the other District linked to forest magic, so sprites and Mother Natures also _crop_ (ha ha) up here.

Twelve. It's pretty much a miner or coal and gold dust. Maybe do a diamond, but the One stylists might whine about it. I saw a canary once, which was kind of an ill omen.

* * *

Biggest strength: I can usually gather strengths from the other sections, so I've started having just one strength here to get an all-around essence

Good biggest strengths: Quick-thinking, fortitude, long distance running. Generally things that aren't general, like "smart". Being more specific makes the strength less overpowered.

Biggest weakness: Same thing

I swear to God if you send me a stupid weakness, I will have it kill them. Things I've seen WAAAAAY too much of:

Not trusting

Suspicious

Selfish

For goodness' sakes, those aren't weaknesses. Just give me a real weakness. It does NOT make the difference in whether they die. It helps me determine HOW to kill them, if they were already going to die, to make it more realistic. It actually boosts a Tribute in my mind if they have a real flaw, such as:

Impulsive (Rose from my current story has that, hence why she broke up the Careers early)

Egotistical (That one's Mark, ha ha)

Nearsighted

* * *

Fight or flight reflex: This is super helpful for scenes where Tributes cross paths

Pretty self-explanatory. One one side of the spectrum there's Valerian. On the other there was Vextrix. I only use that to help plan out encounters. It doesn't affect the survival chances.

* * *

What they would do if they see another Tribute: like if flight or fight isn't necessary

Not everyone would fight or run away. Some Tributes sympathize with each other. They might just move in opposite directions, or maybe warn someone the Careers are coming, because screw those guys. Random encounters add suspense and interaction to a story.

* * *

Bloodbath actions:

Some creators make this decision in spite of what submitters say. I'm very devoted to their wishes, so what you say goes. The only thing I might change is if I need a Bloodbath and have a more anxious Tribute freeze up. Otherwise, it's your say. The farther they go in, the more they risk death, but the bigger rewards they get. Unless otherwise stated, non-Careers default to taking a few things near their platform and running, while Careers default to finding weapons and killing Tributes.

* * *

Allying or not: I'll pair up people who are open to any allies, or otherwise submitters can PM each other

Allying is a huge factor in survival, so I leave it to the submitters, unless they just say they're open to anything. Then I generally try to hook people up who will help each other. I have a hard time keeping big alliances straight, but allies can really help a Tribute since that means they interact more and readers see more of their personalities. Loners are also fine. I'd probably be a loner myself. Looking back, I think I've had more allied Tributes win, but it's not on purpose.

* * *

Games strategy:

Say "Hide and wait for everyone to die" one more time. I DARE YOU.

But actually I know that's pretty much the best strategy. I get it if that's what's best for your Tribute. It just makes things harder for me, and I love it when people write something else. Examples:

Stake out a water source and ambush people

Hook up with stronger allies and abandon them during danger (on that note, don't be afraid to say your Tribute would abandon allies. They're just trying to live)

Kill allies in sleep

Camouflage (an interesting take on hiding I don't get much)

* * *

How long you think they'll last: I do take this into account, since you know your character better than I do

The obvious note is that some Tributes are made to die in the Bloodbath. I'm very thankful for that, since it means other Tributes don't have to die. Otherwise, I'll look at your appraisal and keep it in mind. Maybe you think your Tribute would last to the final ten and have some good reasons. Fair enough, I'll see if it works. Some macabre submitters want to have a Tribute die in every placing and request one of those if they have to die. I don't kill Tributes just for that, but if I was going to kill them anyway, I play along.

* * *

How they would win: Yo I'm lazy and want ideas

Finales are hard. I've had to-the-death duels (Pray vs. Shogo), anticlimactic mishaps (Bambi and Hades), good old fight (Tillo vs. Calvary) and tragic murders (Erwin and Frankie). I'm always looking for more ideas to keep things varied. Or maybe you have something that will help the character's development, which is nice. However you want to do it, if it's cool, I'll add it.

* * *

How they would die: if they have to die, at least you get a booby prize and pick

There are two requests I take as challenges:

Make it epic (Castiel got that one)

Make it nasty (The infamous Tariq incident)

So if you say either of those, I spend the entire story thinking of something worthwhile. Otherwise, it can be anything. Some people want a Career death, or a natural one. Some people DON'T want certain things, like suicide or betrayal, and I always respect those. I've only written one suicide anyway (Castiel again, funny enough) because I try to avoid depressing things in my murder stories.

* * *

Anything else useful:

This is just a catch-all for anything I missed. It can help with Capitol scenes if you mention a favorite food, or maybe some small character trait that makes interactions easier. It all boils down to the fact that the more you provide, the less I have to make up. I only have so much imagination, so submitter interaction makes the story richer.

* * *

 **There you go, reviewer! This has been half done in Doc manager for months. I just wasn't finishing it because I was working on my SYOTs. But obviously I have a lot of words, so I spared some to add to this. There's still lots more, too.**


	5. Character Archetypes Part 1:The Mary Sue

When you've seen as many characters as I have, trends start to emerge. To spur your creativity and provide some outlines, I thought I'd list off a few example forms of different types of characters I see a lot. Since everyone knows it's easier and more fun to mock terrible things than actually make good ones, I'll start with the most infamous bad character type: the Mary-Sue

* * *

Name: Bluebelle Meadowfall **(This isn't actually that terrible of a name. I couldn't think of a REALLY bad name outside of the Career Districts, which often get impossibly pretty names. This just points out that Mary-Sues tend to have very luckily pretty names, both first and last)**

District: 11 **(Non-Career Sues are often from the outer Districts to evoke pity)**

Age: 16 ( **Old enough to win but not old enough to be unsympathetic)**

Appearance: Bluebelle has shining red hair with natural highlights that stretches down to her waist. She usually keeps it in a French braid. Her eyes are emerald green, and they're very large and expressive, changing shades in different lights. Her mouth is small and her lips are naturally red and heart-shaped. She is very pale, with pink-blushed cheeks. She is a little taller than average and very slender, with long legs.

 **Basically, a Mary-Sue will be drop-dead gorgeous. Red, black, or blonde hair is acceptable, but very rarely brown, unless it's "auburn" or "chestnut". It's always long and thick. Her eyes will be an unnatural shade, or if you're really lucky, they'll be different colors. I only got that once, but the Tribute was pretty moderate, so I rolled with it and had it be the result of eye trauma from her father's abuse the form mentioned. Mary Sues are usually tall, but there IS a subset of very petite ones (Pray is like five feet tall, but she's not a Sue, so okay). The word used will almost certainly be "slender". Wouldn't want people thinking the character was skinny, or heaven forbid, gawky.**

Personality:

Bluebelle is an excellent student who is the top of her class, having skipped two grades. **(Tributes are based on submitters and we all consider ourselves smart)**. Outside of school hours, she volunteers as a tutor to younger pupils. She also likes to stay healthy, so she runs regularly **(Oh, you think you're so sneaky getting Games skills in there "accidentally").** She is very curious and loves learning ( **Author inserts again. Mary-Sues represent the worst of our egos. We all think we're curious and love learning).** She cares deeply for other people and is very loyal to her friends. However, she is not gullible and needs evidence before she trusts people **(Can't have a possible flaw without covering for it).** She has a strong sense of justice and always stands up for what she believes in **(We want her to be sympathetic, right?).**

Bluebelle is an avid reader **(Everyone I ever meet. Usually "avid reader" means they read popular young adult books over a weekend. Good job, you. Not that I hate YA books. I read them, too. I just don't brag about it).** From her reading, she has learned about everything from edible plants to navigation ( **Well, isn't that lucky!)** She tends to keep to herself, since she prefers intellectual conversation and introspection **(because she's just sooooo much smarter and deeper than other people).** She is also a talented artist **(Or some other talent or whatever)**

 **In summary, everything about a Mary-Sue is designed to increase her chances of winning. She's perfect in every way, of course, but the things she's perfect in also happen to be skills that will aid her in the Arena.**

Backstory:

Bluebelle lives with her parents and her little sister Tansy, who adores her and looks up to her **(Gotta have that cute little kid who will provide them motivation)**. They live in a little cottage at the edge of the woods **(because poor people in one of the poorest Districts definitely get their own houses).** Bluebelle gets up early every morning to work extra hours to provide money for her family, and when she gets home, she cooks dinner for her exhausted parents. In addition, she is sometimes paid by wealthy families for her tutoring.

 **A Mary-Sue's background is a list of all the things she excels at.**

Token: A picture of her family ( **It's hard to make a token obnoxious)**

Training in the Capitol:

Bluebelle trained in edible plants and scored a perfect score on the test **(It's always edible plants, because that's the most useful skill in the Arena).** She also learned to make fire and build shelters, and she spent the second day practicing weapons just in case.

Weapon: A slingshot **(It's always a slingshot, since it's lethal but still innocent enough to preserve sympathy).** Bluebelle took to the weapon naturally, and by the end of training she was hitting bullseyes regularly.

Training session: Bluebelle showed her flawless plant skills and then hit the eye of several dummies with her slingshot. She scored a 9. **(People think they're being modest by not asking for a 10-12. NOPE)**

Strengths: Bluebelle is a very fast runner. She is also highly intelligent and doesn't trust easily. She is excellent at reading people while keeping herself guarded.

Weaknesses: Doesn't trust easily. **(THAT IS NOT A WEAKNESS).** Can't swim very well ( **But can still swim)**

Allying: Generally Mary-Sues don't ally.

Parade outfit: A beautiful dress inspired by the color palette of their District.

Interview outfit: A sleeker, more form-fitting dress inspired by her District palette. She has fashionable makeup and perfect shoes.

Interview angle: Elusive but clever **(Basically she doesn't give away any secrets but she learns about everyone else)**

Bloodbath plan: Bluebelle grabbed the nearest pack and ran away before the Careers could catch up ( **Because she's so fast and smart and of course there was a backpack right by her platform)**

Games strategy: Hide and wait for everyone else to kill each other **(Because she's the only one to think of that)**

How she would win: Sniping a Career with her slingshot before the Career noticed her **(because she also has a third job as a ninja)**

How she would die: Bravely sacrificing herself for a younger Tribute. But most likely she'll win.

 **So there we have the basic Mary-Sue. There are multiple specializations, but this one is the generic model characterized by her perfection. Honestly this isn't a great example, because a good Mary-Sue can only by written by someone so terrible at writing that they honestly think it's a good submission. I can't write badly on purpose as badly as they write without trying, so I salute them.**


	6. Character Archetypes Part 1:The Dove

**Next up we have a character that's also pretty flawless, but her (it's usually a female) perfection is concentrated into one area. She's super duper peaceful and loving.**

* * *

 **The Dove**

Name: Dove Pax **(The Dove usually has a placid or mellifluous name)**

Age: 15 ( **often a little on the younger side of average)**

District: Twelve **(Generally it's an outer District to emphasize her vulnerability and so there are lots of poor people)**

Appearance: Dove has very pale skin, brown hair, and warm brown eyes. She often wears her hair in a loose bun. She is tall but full-figured and wears loose clothing, sometimes with an apron.

 **The Dove's appearance emphasizes her welcoming and pleasant nature, as well as pointing out her fragility. She is designed to look like a mother**

Personality: Dove is all about other people. She is deeply caring and empathetic, and she cannot stand to see people suffering. She is soft-spoken and gentle. She loves children and babies, and hopes to have her own someday. She is endlessly patient and spends most of her time with younger children. She enjoys cooking, sewing, and sitting outside enjoying nature.

 **That is the essence of the Dove. She is a helper and a nurturer**

Backstory: Dove's mother died in childbirth. She lives with her father, who was brokenhearted and never remarried. Dove cares for him, since he is sickly, and she does the housework. Dove has no siblings, but she spends most of her time volunteering at Twelve's orphanage, teaching the children and bringing them food. She works double shifts at a bakery and brings the leftovers to the orphans. She is an average student and hopes to get married when she reaches adulthood. Once married, she wants to mostly be a homemaker, but she would like to work part-time so she can keep helping the orphans.

 **The Dove has but one ambition: to help others. She doesn't care about wealth or fame or a career.**

Token: A heart-shaped locket with a picture of her with the orphans. As many as they could came and gave it to her.

What they learned in the Capitol: First aid and shelter-making, possibly fishing. **The Dove learns peaceful skills and often performs well at them, since the submitters reason that it's fair since they didn't learn any really powerful skills.**

Weapon: Usually none, but some submitters angling for a win have their Dove practice with something less aggressive, such as a sling.

Private session and score: Dove showed her first aid skills and earned a 6 or 7. **Doves get about average, since they're not _bad_ but they're not really hard-hitters.**

Parade outfit: Something pretty

Interview outfit: A white ball gown

Interview angle: friendly and sweet

Strengths: Friendly, sweet, attractive to sponsors, not a threat to Careers **Doves usually aren't OP**

Weaknesses: Trusting, not skilled in weapons, won't kill people **Actual weaknesses. Yes!**

Allying: ABSOLUTELY. Seeking young, unskilled Tributes. **The Dove is a mother. She will seek out children. If placed in the same Games as a Smol Bean, she will surely ally with them.**

Bloodbath plan: Find her allies and run away. **Some Doves die in the Bloodbath because they run in to save their children.**

Games strategy: Keep her allies safe and avoid fights.

Predicted placement: Bloodbath. **There are a few possibilities. Some Doves are designated Bloodbaths, usually dying to save someone else. Others last a little longer, then die for someone else. They're usually not submitted to win.**

How they would win: Accidentally killing someone or outlasting everyone.

How they would die: Self-sacrifice **Definitely the leading cause of death for Doves.**

One word to sum them up: Pure

* * *

Doves can go either way. Generally, they're unrealistically pure but not really bad. They're usually made to die, since most submitters recognize that someone like that isn't meant to win the Games. If a Tribute is meant to die, I'm way more lax.

A good Dove: Earmarked to sacrifice themselves, isn't super skilled at everything

A bad Dove: Is fully expected to win without any trauma because she accidentally killed a Career with her sling when she just meant to fend them off.

 **I've gotten a few Doves over the years. I don't roll my eyes or judge them. Sure they're ridiculously good, but they're not OP, so it's fair game. They're one-dimensional, but some people just are, tbh. I've even submitted a few Doves. Mine were all Bloodbaths.**


	7. Character Archetypes Part 3: Smol Bean

Just a preface: archetypes aren't bad. The only one bad by definition is the pure Mary Sue, and those are usually the product of really young submitters who don't yet have the ability to express their Tributes fully. Archetypes in general are just an easy shorthand for grouping similar Tributes together, and their popularity demonstrates their usefulness.

* * *

The Smol Bean

Name: Maisie Luna **Smol Beans are pretty evenly split between boys and girls.**

Age: 12 **A Smol Bean has to be small, after all**

District: 5 **Pretty even split between Smol Bean city kids and country kids**

Appearance: Maisie has brown hair that curls around her chin and big brown eyes. She has freckles across her nose and is usually smiling. She's average size for her age and has not hit puberty yet, so she's smaller than most Tributes and flat-chested. She is usually smiling.

 **A Smol Bean has a lot of variety in appearance. They're usually not redheads, though, because that's more of a warrior color. They're child-sized, though, which makes sense, especially for the boys.**

Personality: Maisie is a pretty normal kid. She's young enough not to know the worst things about Panem and lives in a lower middle-class family, so she's never gone without food or shelter. She's not rich, but she's content with her life. She tries her hardest at school and usually does pretty well. She especially likes science. Outside of school she plays with her friends and helps her family around the house. When she grows up, she wants to be a science teacher.

Maisie is optimistic and friendly. She thinks adults know everything and is always polite. She loves animals and has a pet cat named Tricky. She is very curious about the other District and especially wants to visit Ten so she can see all the farm animals.

 **Smol Beans usually aren't unrealistic. They're actually the only realistic characters in most Games. They're normal kids without one defining element or useful skill and they react realistically to the Games.**

Backstory: Maisie lives with her parents, her big brother (20), and her big sister (18). Everyone else in her family is old enough to work, so the four incomes in a small house means that the family's finances are stable. Her brother is about to marry and will move out then. Maisie and her siblings get along well, even though they're a lot older than she is. Maisie doesn't work yet, so she does a lot of the chores around the house. She's happy to help, but she hates washing dishes (she does it anyway)

 **There's not much noteworthy here. Smol Beans have normal lives, since they contrast the more dynamic other Tributes.**

Token: A little stuffed cat

What they learned in the Capitol: The climbing course and the fishing station. **The climbing course is pretty much a playground, attracting Smol Beans. They also learn fun and easy skills like making fish hooks.**

Private session and score: Maisie made some fishhooks. She scored a 5. **The range is around 4-6, with a few outliers whose submitters have higher hopes and ask for a 7 or 8.**

Allying: Yes, seeking anyone. **Smol Beans like friends their own age or cool kids older than they are. If placed in the same Arena as a Dove, they will certainly ally. They will bond easily and deeply with allies. With those their age, they will become best friends. With older Tributes, they will treat them like mothers or fathers. Smol Beans are often very loyal and will risk their lives to help their allies.**

Strengths: Good at hiding, not overconfident, good with sponsors, not a threat to Careers. **Smol Beans' strengths lie in the ability they have to unintentionally get others to protect them.**

Weaknesses: Doesn't know weapons, isn't strong, small size, doesn't want to kill people, naive. **Smol Beans are never OP.**

Parade outfit: Sparkler. **Something fun and cute.**

Interview outfit: Glittery dress. **For boys, a cute mini tuxedo.**

Interview angle: Friendly and genuine. **The Smol Bean doesn't have an angle. They just converse honestly.**

Games strategy: Stay with allies, hide, avoid trouble. **What you'd expect from a little kid in an Arena with killers.**

Bloodbath plan: Take anything right next to the platform and run. **Smol Beans know their limitations.**

How she would win: Getting lucky. **Smol Beans _very_ rarely win. If they do, it's usually because their ally and the last remaining Tribute died fighting each other.**

How she would die: Just got killed. She's not really a fighter. **Smol Bean submitters are honest and often just ask that it not be a drawn-out death, which I always agree to.**

Predicted placement: Probably Bloodbath. **Smol Bean submitters know the odds. They often earmark their Tributes for the Bloodbath. Otherwise, a Smol Bean will usually die when their allies fail to save them. Their allies will then spend the rest of the Games blaming themselves.**

* * *

 **I got nothing against Smol Beans. Their submitters are usually very self-aware and submit them to participate rather than to win. They're very helpful characters because of their relation to other Tributes. The Smol Bean can be used to show the depravity of a Career by killing them, or to add angst and development to an ally who failed to protect them. They may also serve as motivation to a friend who outlived them. Most of my submitted Tributes are Smol Beans (off the top of my head, Alder Howe and Cutter Sow), and many are earmarked as Bloodbaths. I send them in to help out the others by sending a weak character to make theirs stronger and improve their odds. Many organizers have a hard time getting people to submit young or weak Tributes, so Smol Beans are always welcome. They often become fan favorites and are always missed after their inevitable deaths.**


	8. CA Part IV: The Serial Killer, Old

The Serial Killer, Old

Name: Lupine Weathers **(Serial killers can be male or female. I get slightly more females)**

Age: 18 **(There are Old Serial Killers and Young Serial Killers. Old ones are often 18 to allow for a higher body count)**

District: Twelve **(It's usually Twelve or Three. I suspect it's Twelve for the poor, backwoods feel and Three for the genius sociopath feel)**

Appearance: Lupine is tall and very thin. She has long dark hair and brown eyes that seem almost black. She's very pale and has a crazy smile. **(Serial Killers are always cursed with an appearance that would make everyone that sees them immediately suspect they're a serial killer. They're disproportionately Asian, for that ghost girl look. They're always strong enough to kill people of any age or gender, so they're apparently masters of waif-fu.)**

Personality: Lupine was born on a full moon. This didn't give her any powers or anything, it's just kind of cool. Ever since she was little, she's always kept to herself. She liked to play in her room in the dark, and sometimes her parents found bits of insects or scraps of fur while she was out. She never talked much, but she always did well in school. She likes to watch the other kids and see what they're like. She's very secretive and often has a strange smile on her face, and curiously empty eyes.

Lupine was twelve when she killed her first victim **(Gotta be young for those edgy points. Real-life serial killers start far later, with the only exception I can think of being the Bulger case, and they weren't serial killers)**. It was a classmate who didn't have many friends. Lupine followed her home and as she walked through a remote stretch of forest, she stabbed her to death with a kitchen knife. She stabbed her at least ten times. She'd been planning it for months, and it gave her a thrill like she'd never had before. She immediately wanted to do it again. She's killed twelve people since then, mostly schoolmates and kids that wouldn't be missed for some reason. She also kills animals sometimes, mostly mice and birds **(never cats or dogs because they're cute).**

Lupine doesn't think other people are entirely human. She loves watching their bodies come apart and is almost clinical about it. Her eyes light up when she sees blood and she loves the sound of screams (Many Serial Killers have an obsession with blood and many keep biohazard trophies like blood drops). Sometimes she hears voices in her head, but she knows they're not real. Sometimes she's even nice to other kids, and sometimes she thinks she's the only one who's really sentient and everyone else is just an empty husk.

 **(Serial Killers are always a MESS. They're a half-baked cocktail of inaccurate diagnoses from submitters flexing their knowledge of the "dark triad" and hinting at certain mental disorders and then dropping the hint abruptly. Not only that, but they're always a forensic nightmare. Somehow they always have double-digit body count, which isn't really that common for real-life serial killers. These Tributes have Dahmer-level body counts at _eighteen_. And yet somehow no one has noticed a literal serial killer targeting kids, since these Tributes never have the law on their tail. There's no indication the authorities even know it's a kid doing the killings, despite the massively obvious forensic evidence that must leave)**

Backstory:

Lupine lived with her parents until they both died when she was eight in an accidental fire. **(Serial Killers are usually orphans, both for easier access to vulnerable orphanage populations and for the implication that they killed their parents)**. After that, she was a ward of the state. **(They usually aren't given much backstory aside from the murder thing)**

Token: a hairclip from her first victim

What they learned in the Capitol: She focused on the bladed weapons and was generally creepy to the other Tributes.

Private session and score: She cut up a dummy like an autopsy and scored a 6. She paid no attention to the Gamemakers **(Serial Killers often get low average scores because they obviously have skill, but they don't care about showing off)**

Allying: No **(Like anyone would want to)**

Strengths: Bloodthirsty, psychopath, knife skills **(Usually a knife, sometimes a machete)** , willing to kill, super creepy

Weaknesses: Survival, target to Careers, no sponsors **(Serial Killers are very much one-trick ponies)**

Parade outfit: Whatever suits the District **(It's not important to the character)**

Interview outfit: Dark dress **(For that goth look)**

Interview angle: No angle, she's just naturally creepy and stares at the interviewer **(Serial Killers have plenty of ego, but no idea about charming the Capitol)**

Games strategy: Kill as many people as possible, starting with the weakest Tributes. **(Serial Killers will usually avoid Career Packs out of self-preservation. Other than that, they will seek out and kill anyone they can)**

Bloodbath plan: Run in, get a weapon, start killing **(Serial Killers are vulnerable at the Bloodbath since they can get distracted killing)**

How she would win: Serial Killers are not submitted to win. I've never had one that the submitter intended to win.

How she would die: Killed by Careers who are simply stronger or epically killed by an intended victim. **(Serial Killer submitters have a flair for drama, naturally)**

Predicted Placement: Top third. **(Serial Killer submitters want to see their Tribute wreak havoc and rack up a body count, but then die)**

* * *

 **Serial Killers earn a tolerant eye-roll from me. They're the least realistic of the archetypes by far. They are almost always hyper-competent with wildly inflated kill counts. They're a clinician's nightmare of layman's psychology. They're usually Villain Sues. BUT, they're useful. Sometimes you want a clear villain. They're also good because THEY KILL PEOPLE. They keep the Games from stagnating and you can use them to kill anyone you want to get rid of. Character's arc run out? They're just not Victor material? Need to thin the herd? Throw someone to the serial killer, because they're always strong enough to kill anyone. They make things easier because that's one slot you don't have to consider for Victor and one submitter you don't have to worry about disappointing. So I take the, despite privately lampooning their lack of realism. It's just a story, after all. Lighten up.**

 **PS one of my finest moments in writing, in my opinion, was an old serial killer. I will develop ANYONE, no matter how evil, and it's a proud achievement that people actually ended up rooting for the child murderer.**


	9. CA Part V: The Serial Killer, Young

**LOL it was Shinju. Both a _child_ killer- killer of children- and a child _killer-_ killer who is a child, so I recognize the ambiguity.**

* * *

Name: Celia Matrix **(Young Serial Killers tend to have romantic, old-timey names)**

Age: 12 **(because it's EDGIER that they're so young! No one will expect it!)**

District: Three **(just because I used Twelve for the other one)**

Appearance: Celia is small, with a pixieish face and lank dark brown hair. She is pale with freckles across her nose and usually has a weird, mischievous smile. (Gotta look innocent and cute but also spOOOOooOooOOky!)

 **(Pardon the stupid pills I'm about to take. Young Serial Killers are usually sent in by submitters I can tell are also young. I can tell this because of the signature writing style of a preteen girl. This doesn't make them bad, it's just very noticeable. Henceforth this form shall imitate it.)**

Personality: Celia likes dead things. She likes going out at night and cutting things up. She keeps to herself and always has this odd look in her eyes. People say she was born on Halloween, though it isn't true, and some people say she has a demon **(This kind of thing intrigues me, since I occasionally slip into a sort of Twilight Zone atmosphere and let perhaps supernatural things into my stories)**. She often mutters to herself, but no one knows what she's talking about. She likes to start fires and one time she even set a whole street on fire.

 **(You know how when a murderer gets caught, everyone says either "it's such a shock! She seemed so nice!" or "We knew there was something wrong with that girl"? Celia is firmly in the second category.)**

Celia hates school and has no friends. She is only happy when she's alone in the woods **(the sprawling woods of Three)** doing creepy things. When she kills people she laughs crazily. **(Gotta have all those cliches)** She likes to smear their blood around and even on herself, or paint with it. **(Young Serial Killers are all about being "unexpected" by having a little kid act like that. These aren't the most creative submissions in the world, so it's usually blood or bodily trophies taken from victims)**

Backstory:

Celia was born to two factory workers. When she was eight, she killed her father **(because eight-year-olds can easily stab grown men to death. Getting killed by a small child is more embarrassing than getting killed by a Chucky doll).** Her mother was blamed and hanged herself in prison. Celia was sent to the orphanage **(people really don't trust orphans, I guess)**. Since then she's killed sixteen more people **(with all that weaponry and all those supplies a destitute orphan has for killing people and hiding bodies)**.

 **(Fun criminal psychology fact: That's a fast pace for a serial killer. Like REALLY fast. Since she's only been active for four years, she's at speeds where she almost leaves serial killer, with its crucial cooling-down period, behind and becomes a _spree_ killer on a really really long spree).**

 **(Young Serial Killers are WAY more prone to Villain Sueness than old ones. They're also more cartoonishly evil without any real reasons given. They're low-functioning serial killers, to use the clinical terms. Old Serial Killers are aiming for more like Dahmer or Bundy, while Young Serial Killers are more like Ed Gein (parentheses inside parentheses to say he actually wasn't a proven serial killer since we only _know_ he killed one lady)).**

Token: Her mother's autopsy picture

What they learned in the Capitol: surgical techniques for cutting people

Private Session and score: 4 because she intentionally did badly **(at least these submitters tend to not inflate scores)**

Allying: No **(would kill allies, duh)**

Strengths: Underestimated, sneaky, killer, knives

Weaknesses: Small, young **(way fewer weaknesses are listed than for Old Serial Killers, because submitters seem to think their killers are invincible ninjas)**

Parade outfit/ Interview outfit: Whatever

Interview angle: Elusive and sly **(META NOTE they're all wannabe Foxfaces)**

Games strategy: Get a knife and elude the Careers while killing everyone else

Bloodbath strategy: Get a knife and get out **(because twelve-year-olds are way faster and more agile than trained combatants)**

How she would win: Killing everyone **(most Young Serial Killers are submitted to die, but a few submitters want their little hellions to outwit everyone and kill the strong farm boys and Careers)**

How she would die: Anything's fine

Predicted placement: Top half **(Except for the few Victor hopefuls, most submitters acknowledge their submission's young age would eventually do them in)**

* * *

 **Young Serial Killers are perhaps the most cliche-ridden archetype. They have very little variety and always rely on the same "shocking" things to gross people out. They quickly become parodies of themselves and collapse under the weight of the logical inconsistencies required for a child to have killed more people than years she's been alive. This isn't because these submitters are bad writers, but because they're young and new to this. They know the look they want- "intimidating" and "dark"- but they don't have their own voices yet, so they use older themes like blood and young killers to try to make their vision real. As they submit more, they get better. These Tributes are the ones you write when you're first submitting, and later you look back and laugh at yourself.  
**

 **That said, I still take them. One, because I am famous (infamous?) for taking _literally anyone._ Two, because they still have use. They can cull a few weak Tributes. I kill them earlier than most people, because... twelve. They're little kids who think they can easily kill people twice their size. This isn't their old life, where people don't expect to get killed. In the Arena, everyone's watching for them.**


	10. CA, Part VI: The Uber-Career

Name: Erzebet Avisala (Okay, the first name is a stretch, but they usually have cool names after fierce historical women. The last names tend to be pulchritudinous. I've only gotten female Uber-Careers)

Age: 16 or 18 (logic dictates Academies wouldn't send a promising 16-year-old and waste two years of training, but some submitters want to evoke the innocence and likeability of a 16 year old, which might seem more like a child to readers)

District: Two (Usually Two, not One. Ones tend to be ditzy and not as strong. Twos tend to be commandos)

Appearance: Erzebet has sharp black eyes and jutting cheekbones. Her brown hair hugs her face and ends in a severe line at her chin. She is 5'2" and slender, with wiry muscles. She has thin lips and a tight smile.

(They tend to look catlike and animalistic. Everyone knows Two does weird voodoo so their kids' names and appearances always match their personality. I don't know why there was a big trend a while ago to send in really short girls. It's less prevalent now. Brown hair is pretty common in Two so it makes sense. If I ever see a person with black eyes, though, I'm running for it. That's just for edgy and unique points)

Personality: Erzebet is no nonsense. She knows what she's here for and nothing will distract her. She doesn't brook tomfoolery or disrespect, and will rule her alliance with cold authority. She is single-minded and often scares people away with her intensity. She has a cold stare and a harsh aura. She doesn't say much, preferring to observe others to discover and store away their weaknesses.

Erzebet was always a serious child. She prefers business to pleasure. She only allows herself to relax among a very few intimate friends. When she does relax, she's an entirely different person. She jokes around and even smiles. But this is rare.

(The Uber-Career's personality revolves entirely around optimizing her for winning. She'll have any qualities useful for winning, such as seriousness, drive, intensity, focus, and elusiveness. She'll have a few soft parts thrown in to attract sympathy. Often it's a single person they're devoted to, like a little sister or a boyfriend. The Uber-Career is designed as a Victor, not a Tribute, and their personalities reflect that fundamental lack of humanity.)

Backstory: When Erzebet was three, she decided her goal was to win the Games. She joined the Academy at five, despite the normal cutoff being six. She quickly excelled, rising to the top and remaining there every year. She moved to another weapon or martial art as soon as the last was mastered, outpacing several of her instructors. While she is familiar with every weapon, her first choice is a saber for close range and a crossbow for long. She is also a skilled runner and grappler.

This obsession with training left Erzebet with little normal life. She neglected her schooling and preferred to keep to herself, never making many close friends. She had no need for companionship and was fulfilled by her own goals.

(Basically, the Uber-Career is good at Career stuff. They're good at every weapon and immediately were recognized as Super Cool and Very Special in the Academy, since all those other loser students were just normal. They tend to have a close and long range weapon to cover all basics. They're often swords and bows, but many submitters try to be just a little special and specify what type of sword and bow. They're all loners, because they appeal to submitters who think of themselves as brooding geniuses)

Token: None. She'll earn one by winning

What they learned in the Capitol: She already had enough skills, so she observed the other Tributes and studied their weaknesses (Because no one else thought of this and they definitely won't notice a creeping Career). She also spent a few hours on edible plants (Submitters are notorious meta-gamers. Careers are well known to have no survival skills, resulting in most cases of Career deaths. The Careers always overlook this Achilles' heel, but submitters don't. They want their Tributes to have the best chance, so they add that of course they learned survival stuff Careers always neglect in real life)

Private Session and Score: She demonstrated her weapons skills and earned a 10 (it's usually in the 9-11 range, communicating that the Uber-Career is good but not, heaven forbid, a Mary Sue)

Allying: With the Careers

Strengths: Weapons, running, mental toughness, leadership skills, detecting lies, swimming, plants, endurance, reflexes, cooking, slingshots, tracking, shelters, eyesight, can roll her tongue, sprinting, coordination, navigation, gardening, purifying water, foraging, tatting doilies, trap-making, light sleeper, staining glass...  
Weaknesses: Doesn't trust easily (Ohhhh my goooooooosh. Some people throw me a bone and say they're bad at swimming or climbing)

Parade/Interview outfit: Tight-fitting and sleek warrior outfit, black evening gown and smoky makeup (Uber-Careers have to look the part, since they'll definitely win and be in the Capitol a long time!)

Interview angle: Stoic and elusive (They're so smart, they won't give anything away!)

Games strategy: Stay with Careers until threats are eliminated, betray Careers, kill everyone (no complaints here. This is usually a standard Career strategy)  
Bloodbath strategy: Grab a weapon and start killing (Yup, that's about right)

How she would win: Kill everyone and have a cool battle with the last Tribute (No complaints, that's how I would write an Uber-Career winning)  
How she would die: Mutt or something unfair like Gamemaker machinations (No one's strong enough to kill an Uber-Career. I usually have to get creative and use either something they couldn't have prepared for or a group of Tributes)

Predicted placement: Top 5 (Most people are modest enough not to straight up say Victor. It's okay to want it, though, and that's what's implied by saying top whatever)

Anything else: She secretly loves the color purple (Often there will be little humanizing notes to gain popularity)

* * *

 **The notorious Uber-Career. Most interactive stories have a character who at least gets close to this. It's an understandable allure, since they have a great chance at winning. They don't have as much advantage with me, because I'm wary of overpowered characters and because popularity is a big part for me and there's a definite bias against Careers with my readers. However, they still have a shot, even a better than average shot. I've gotten my share of Uber-Careers. Venus was my first, and she came in third. Rhoda had a lot of elements, but I didn't mind them, because she had others that balanced them out. Onyx was a weird variation in that he had the ridiculous competence but wasn't a conventional Career and had a reason for those skills. Like most archetypes, it can be done without being obnoxious. I've even had an Uber-Career win. It's pretty obvious to anyone who's read all my stories, but for the newer people, it was Pray Jager. I appreciated that although she _was_ insanely competent, it did cause real limitations in other parts of her life. Uber-Careers aren't a problem for me because they're really useful. If I get a ton of reluctant Careers and timid Tributes and just one Uber-Career, that takes care of all the killing and keeps the story moving. Uber-Careers are essentially just an optimized Tribute made by someone who wants a Victor, and that's what most people want, so I get it.  
**


	11. CA, Part VI: The Reluctant Career

**VERY IMPORTANT: Americanpi has an SYOT looking for Tributes! It's called The Hours! Form is on her page! Send Tributes because I sent one and I want to get this started! But don't send 6Fs because that's what I sent!**

* * *

Name: Paris Siltmore **(I know Paris sounds like a really dorky name but he was in the Iliad all right?)**

District: Two **(I get SO many Two Relucant Careers and it drives me batty because I want some Two Career Victors but Reluctant Victors only sort of count. I want some killers!)**

Age: 18 ( **Career and all, so this makes sense)**

Gender: Male **(not too skewed, but about 60/40 male/female)**

Appearance: Black hair, blue eyes. Six feet tall, leanly muscular. **(Reluctant Careers have a lot of options for appearance, since it's not really important. They do tend to be either 'bad boy' lookers or All-American sort of boys. They're usually lean instead of bulky because lean has connotations of intelligence and bulky has connotations of brutishness. They tend to be handsome, but Tributes in general tend to be handsome)**

Personality: Paris is a quiet, polite young man. He listens to his elders and dearly wants to measure up to his mentors and teachers. He feels extremely pressured to go into the Games and fulfill the expectations of his District.

When he's allowed to be himself, Paris has a secret personality. He's sensitive and philosophical, often thinking about the other Tributes in the Games and why they're necessary at all. He loves reading, especially history and philosophy books. He wishes he could be an academic or historian instead of a fighter, but he's too shy to tell anyone.

Paris is empathetic and cares deeply about other people. He hates to hurt them and hates that he has to train.

ALTERNATE PERSONALITY: Paris is a cynical, realistic young man. He sees through the Capitol propaganda and only trains because he doesn't want to be suspected. He doesn't care about people's opinions and wants to live his own life.

Despite his apathy toward training, Paris is a naturally good fighter. He learns quickly and is very disciplined, which has made him into an elite athlete. He's always thinking, trying to stay ahead of people he knows are trying to trick him and making sure he gets where he wants to go. He has a healthy disrespect for authority and doesn't trust anyone without proof.

 **(Reluctant Careers have two major types. There's the type that got pressured into it and volunteered freely, and the type that hates it all but got manipulated into it somehow. I'll do them both at once because why not)**

Backstory:

Paris came from a Career family. His father was forced out of the running due to a back injury during training, and his mother is an elite private coach for Careers. One of his relatives won the Games and a dozen more have placed in the top eight. When Paris' big brother was found to have a genetic bone disorder preventing him from training, all his family's expectations fell on him. He never wanted to be in the Games, but he feels like he has to try for his family.

Since the Siltmores are low upper-class, Paris has never had to worry about tuition or having a job. His entire life has been devoted to the Games, with tutors making up the bare minimum of education that the law requires. He's been in training since he could walk and doesn't know anything else.

ALTERNATE BACKSTORY:

Paris came from a low-class family that always struggled to make ends meet. He got a job at the Academy as a janitor and started messing around with the equipment after hours. He just did it to pick up a few fighting moves in case he got mugged or something, but one of the instructors found him and saw his talent. She started training him and eventually arranged a scholarship. Since it pays the same as his old job but he doesn't have to work, he took it.

To supplement his income, Paris also participates in underground fighting rings and moonlights as a loan shark. When the time came to pick a volunteer, Paris was the top choice. He refused, since he never wanted to go into the Arena. The instructor who trained him threatened to expose his illegal activities and arrange it so that the mafiosi he loaned sharked against killed his family, forcing him to volunteer.

 **(Two possible backstories here. A pressured Career is all about heritage and honor and cultural expectations. They come from more money because that means more resources for training and better odds. A blackmailed Career is far more likely to be low-class, sowing resentment and leaving them with fewer resources to fight blackmailers. A privileged Career volunteers willingly but his heart isn't in it. A blackmailed Career has the will to kill but was forced to volunteer)**

Token: His father's compass, with the magnet removed so it isn't unfair. BLACKMAILED CAREER: A pencil he found on the train. ( **A blackmailed Career is too cynical for sentiment)**

What they learned in the Capitol: Paris practiced his running skills and agility. BLACKMAILED CAREER: Paris practiced his weapons skills but mostly observed the other Tributes. **(Privileged Careers are honorable, Blackmailed Careers are sneaky)**

Private Session and Score: Privileged: 9-10 Blackmailed: 8-9 **(Blackmailed Careers are less devoted to training and also more likely to hide their skills)**

Allying: Privileged: Careers Blackmailed: 50/50 Careers or loners

Strengths: Privileged: Weapons skills, speed, strength, leadership skills, even-tempered

Blackmailed: Sprinting, stealth, not easy to fool, quick-thinking **(Yeah I know you all see it. One is Thor, the other is Loki)**

Weaknesses: Privileged: reluctant to kill younger Tributes, guilt about participating in the Games, not a good swimmer

Blackmailed: Heavy weapons, interpersonal skills, not likely to get sponsors

Parade outfits: Golden armor **(Reluctant Careers are very often a ploy to be both a Career and also sympathetic, giving the Tribute very good odds to win. This is reflected in their 'I'm soooo strong and skilled but also I'm a good person' outfits)**

Blackmailed: More generic Two outfits

Interview outfits: Not too particular, just general handsome outfits.

Interview angle: Privileged: artificially cheerful and disciplined

Blackmailed: A little more ruthless and biting. **(Privileged Careers live to please. Blackmailed Careers are cynical and sarcastic)**

Games strategy: Here's where it diverges more sharply

Privileged Career **(not necessarily privileged, I should say. That's just a label to differentiate them from Blackmailed Careers): Stay with the Careers. Hunt Tributes but don't kill very young or otherwise compromised ones. However, while they would feel guilty, they would be willing to kill others. They know they have to in order to live. (This is where the submitters show their colors. They want to emphasize that their Tributes are sympathetic, but they still want to win. Reluctant Careers are "good" Careers, but they still will kill others in the end, because that increases their Tribute's chance of winning)** When the Careers break up, split off and fight one-on-one until the last Tribute.

Blackmailed Career: Stay with the Careers a few days, then sneak off before they kill him, maybe killing one as he goes. Pick off the other Tributes and don't pick fights with the Careers.

Bloodbath strategy:

Privileged: Kill one person and then guard the weapons **(Submitters want to show that their Tribute can kill people and request one kill to prove their Tribute deserves Victory)**

Blackmailed: Attack with improvised tactics until they gain a weapon, then go after the biggest threats

How they would win: Epic one-on-one fight. **(the method is the same for both types. The circumstances are different. A Privileged Career would be sad about the fight and would only fight to survive. He would be devastated immediately after and consumed with guilt. A Blackmailed Career knows he never wanted to be here and it isn't his fault he has to fight to survive. He wouldn't pick a fight, but he would face it head-on and would use whatever means necessary to live. Afterward, he would be far less damaged)**

How he would die: Privileged: Fair fight with a strong Tribute, Mutts, Gamemaker shenanigans, maaaaybe helping another Tribute **(not too picky, as long as they go down swinging)**

Blackmailed: Ganged up on by other Careers or just got killed by someone stronger or smarter

Predicted placement: Hopefully Victor, otherwise realistically top 8 **(nothing wrong with that. It's okay to want your Tribute to win, and Careers have good odds. These Tributes are very much designed to be optimized for the Arena and it shows. Sometimes their submitters get pretty salty if they die early, but I get that.)**

Anything else: A privileged Career will often have their favorite philosopher or influencer listed, like a poet or a quote. A blackmailed Career might have one good friend, usually a girl, he acts nicer towards and recognizes is generally a sweet person.

* * *

 **THE RELUCTANT CAREER**

 **Nary have I seen a more popular archetype. I get these a LOT. I don't think I've ever gone a Games without one. Off the top of my head... Dane, Valencia, Royal, Hunter, Thompson (tbf he started out gung-ho and developed that way), Troy, a little, Elver, Jinx sort of... I get a lot. Mostly males in my case.**

 **Of all the archetypes, this is one of the ones that gives me more grief. I need Careers, okay? A lot of times half the pack is reluctant, and then NO ONE IS KILLING PEOPLE! Know how boring a story is if all the Careers are sitting around angsting about not wanting to be there? Then everyone has to get eaten by mutts or dehydrate and people complain because they like Tribute on Tribute violence more and I WANT to deliver but the Careers are all wusses! If everyone in the pack is reluctant or weak, and this has happened to me, I pick the least reluctant and he gets flanderized into a killing machine. This is why Venus killed like six people and the other Careers killed like one. A reluctant Career takes a slot away from a gung-ho, merciless Career that keeps the game moving and gives me a chance to add a tough Career Victor. I've been wanting a Two male Career Victor for in-universe years, but I haven't had half a chance due to the sheer number of reluctant Careers and inexplicably weak Two males.**

 **My other problem with this archetype is its cold smarminess. I see right through some of these people. Some reluctant Careers are just for variety or originality and that's fine, but a lot of them are coldly calculated for maximum chance of winning. They have the skills of a Career while still be sympathetic and sensitive. They're the strong guys but also the 'good' guys. They're made to gain audience favor while steamrolling less skilled people. Credit to their makers for being so cunning, but I see what they did there.**

 **Even so, an archetype is still an individual. I still take these people and they still have the same chance. I can think of one who won, but that was a special circumstance. Shane Donegal started out as an ordinary Career and only became reluctant as he saw what violence really meant. Plus he was supposed to be from Eleven and I had to move him to Four, so he wasn't originally a Career.**


	12. CA, Part VIII: Fluent in Sarcasm

Name: Dyna Lumen **(Fluent in Sarcasms generally have names that wouldn't make anything think they're a specific type)**

District: Five **(they tend to be from the urban Districts: Three, Five, Six, and Eight)**

Age: 15-17

Gender: Female **(pretty evenly divided)**

Appearance: Dyna has black hair that reaches to her shoulders. She has green eyes that dart around a lot and are bright with intelligence. She's normal height and slender. **(Not many specifics with a Fluent in Sarcasm's appearance. They're just usually not ugly and often have a smart look about them)**

Personality: Dyna is a quick-thinking girl who doesn't take wooden nickels. She has a bit of a problem with authority and will speak her mind if she thinks whoever's in charge is wrong or stupid. She's smart and does well in school, especially in things that involve reasoning. She's also easily bored and underachieves in classes that don't interest her.

Dyna is known for her cutting wit. She'll tell you the frank truth and if you get on her bad side it's permanent. Once she doesn't like someone, she'll make wisecracks and witty barbs that get them flustered. When someone else insults her, she doesn't care, since she doesn't value their opinion. She has a very low tolerance for anything she thinks is a waste of time or propaganda. She despises bullies and will mercilessly verbally torment them with insults they can't even keep up with. She is considered a little quirky by her schoolmates and is mostly a loner. She has no problem being on her own and values her private time.

 **(The Fluent in Sarcasm is the author avatar of many a teenaged writer. Many of us had that phase we look back at with some measure of exasperation- the one where we wrote "fluent in sarcasm" and "no filter" on our social media pages, with a picture of us in heavy eyeliner looking up and offscreen with wide eyes, thinking we were so smart and not like the other drones)**

Backstory: Dyna came from an average Five family. Her father was an overseer in a power plant and her mother was a teacher. They encouraged Dyna to stay in school so she could move up in the world. Since she wanted pocket money and to get out and do stuff, she works part-time as a clerk in a convenience store.

 **(Pretty normal stuff here. Sometimes mentions of disciplinary infractions at school or hobbies or whatever)**

Token: A pair of light bulb earrings

What they learned in the Capitol: Dyna watched the other Tributes and observed their strengths and weaknesses as she worked at the survival stations, stopping whenever someone was looking at her. **(Fluent in Sarcasms are designed with "clever" in mind. The submitters want them to be one step ahead of everyone else, and of course they're smart enough to do survival skills and not die like most Tributes canonically)**

Private Session and Score: Privileged: 5-7, depending on whether they hide their skills or not. In either case, they never shoot for a noticeably high score. She demonstrated fire-making and trap-making skills.

Allying: Loner **("Doesn't play well with others" and can't be slowed down by allies)**

Strengths: Traps, survival skills, quick sprinter **(Fluent in Sarcasms use traps because it render the enemy helpless before they see you and is a safe method of killing someone)**

Weaknesses: Easily suspicious, long-distance running, small size

Parade outfit: Dress with sparklers all over it

Interview outfit: Yellow glittery dress **(Normal outfits, generally pretty)**

Interview angle:Clever and evasive

Games strategy: Dart into the Bloodbath to get a backpack. Run away into an area with cover. Sneak around and keep track of where the others are while staying hidden. Avoid the Careers and let them kill everyone else. Trap the last remaining Tribute. **(Basically the submitters hope they'll know where everyone else is while no one will be aware of them)**

Bloodbath strategy: Grab backpack and run

How they would win: She would sneak around until the final few and when she had to start killing, she would make traps and kill her enemies while they're snared. Or she would trick the last opponent somehow. Maybe sic mutts on them or something.

How he would die: Killed by Career who's way bigger, Gamemaker shenanigans, not too picky

Predicted placement: Top eight or higher. **(Submitters usually think their Fluent in Sarcasm has a chance to win. That's fine, nothing wrong with making a Tribute you want to win)**

Anything else: Would react with suspicion if other Tributes talked to her in the Capitol. In the Arena, she would run, maybe throwing things at them to shoo them off.

* * *

 **Fluent in Sarcasms come in tides. Sometimes I get a whole slew of them, and sometimes they're leaner. They're not my favorite pick for Victor because they're cocky and tend to think they're the only smart ones in the Arena, but they've won in my Games (Peppermint had shades of this). Fluent in Sarcasms are an easy pick for Victor. A lot of writers favor them because they reflect the writer's perceptions of themselves. They're optimized to win. That kind of Tribute always feels a little artificial to me, but it's not wrong. I like to have a more unexpected Victor, but sometimes the most likely choice is gonna be the one that wins. I feel like a lot of authors go overboard and get carried away writing "snarky" one-liners that often come out cringy or just plain lame. The intent is for the Fluent in Sarcasm to be "the snarky one", but it can be hard when I have six Fluent in Sarcasms in the same game. I don't want to get bogged down writing "witty" dialogue instead of focusing on the story, so I tend to tone down Fluent in Sarcasms I receive. I also just don't like writing snarky dialogue. If I write too much of it it just seems excessive and played out. But I can't be too judgemental. Let she who has never made a "snarky" remark and thought she was soooo smart cast the first stone. Annoying they may sometimes be, but no one can say they're not realistic.**


	13. Arenas

**I'll still be writing archetypes as I think of them, but I ran out for the moment and moved on to Arenas, which I've wanted to write for a long time.**

* * *

ARENAS! One of the most important elements of any Hunger Games collaborative story. The Arena shapes the Tributes and is a big factor in who wins. I love coming up with Arenas, and they always get me super excited to start a new Games.

The Arena determines how the Games play out- everything from death percentages to Tribute interactions. In a hostile Arena, far more Tributes will die from nature than from murder. Generally Tributes are less likely to interact in a hostile Arena, since everyone is near-death at all times and on edge. However, there are also opportunities if you want to force an encounter. Water holes in a desert are one obvious place Tributes are likely to pile up. Careers will almost certainly claim those places as their own and either hide to lure prey in, or aggressively defend it to more passively cause death by dehydration.

I write so many stories I've already used a lot of Arenas. To ensure I always have some fresh ideas, I keep a list. Whenever I happen to think of a cool Arena, it goes on the list for future reference.

In general, I think of Arenas in two categories: normal and silly. Normal Arenas are natural biomes, like forests and deserts. I use those for most Games. In the beginning, I _only_ used normal Arenas. Then I did one unrealistic one for fun, and the reception was so positive and I had such a good time that I kept at it. I try to do at least a couple of normal ones for every silly one, just to keep things grounded. I try to make the normal Arenas still kind of exciting, though.

My normal Arenas: tundra, mangrove, island archipelago, garbage dump, African rainforest, wheat field, savannah, Badlands, war zone, mountain, Scottish highlands

My silly Arenas: Mall of America, dinosaur Arena, candyland, Titanic. By far the stupidest Arena, so much it deserves special mention, was the underwater Arena. No ragrets.

Resurrection Arenas: okay, sort of three categories. Resurrection Arenas are difficult to come up with since they all have to tie in to resurrection somehow. They tend to be normal at face value, but they all tie in somehow. So far there's the Mayan rainforest (phoenix), cemetery (one of my coolest IMO. The tie-in is undead creatures, obviously), and the Indian rainforest (reincarnation). The exception is the Career Resurrection Games, since for that one I focused on the martial theme the Tributes had in common and went with a military base.

Special Games: These aren't collaborative, so they're not their own category. I base these around whatever threadbare excuse I'm using to justify a special Games. I've done the Games building, a birthday party, and Snow's mansion.

* * *

 **What makes a good Arena:**

A good Arena should have a few elements.

Visually engaging: This why I've never had a plain grass field. The Arena is a sort of character on its own. It's the backdrop for all your action. You don't make a cool war painting with a background of rubber duckies.

Cover. Stark Arenas make for faster Games, but if there's no cover at all, the Careers will kill everyone on the first day.

Mutts: I make my mutts match the Arena, like most writers, so there has to be something I can tie in. The hardest was the Mall of America Arena, since the only wildlife there was the fish. An inspiring Arena will come with a ton of mutt ideas. Example: African rainforest. There are a ton of cool African animals to use.

Different: Arenas will get used and reused, but I try to make sure they're not totally dull. No one wants ten forests in a row. I pace mine out to ensure readers don't get two similar ones back-to-back, like the African savannah next to the African rainforest

Difficulty: Some Arenas are extremely harsh. I shy away from those, since readers prefer Tribute violence to natural death. This is why I haven't had a desert Arena. I tend to alternate easy and hard Arenas, like putting the mountain right before K2.

* * *

 **Inspiration for Arenas:**

Tundra: For my first HG story, I picked the tundra year. This is because it was an author-insert story, and I'm not strong enough to win a Games. I would have to win by default, and since I'm from Wisconsin, I have an advantage in the cold. This story was about hiding and outliving everyone else, so it made sense to use a harsh Arena that killed most Tributes.

Mangrove: I was super inspired by the image of an Arena with no actual ground, just water and trees. I've always wanted to visit a mangrove swamp.

Bombed-out Games: I had recently visited Europe and was struck by how the land is still pitted and pocked from WWII nearly a century ago. The Arena is directly based on Point du Hoc.

Archipelago: I liked the idea of a lush, verdant paradise. I wanted to see how sensual I could make the writing and liked that the Tributes wouldn't die from starvation or thirst and also the hidden danger of infection.

Mall of America: I live an hour away and go sometimes. It always strikes me that it's so big it holds literally the population of my town. It _is_ a town, a tiny biome made by humans. That was my first indoor Arena, and it just had so many possibilities. All the stores with different items, a literal aquarium, running water and plenty of food… I actually made it smaller because I didn't have room in the story for the amusement park. I'd like to do this one again, actually. I think I could use the Arena more. I want to make it based on that Middle Eastern mall that dwarfs the MOA.

Garbage dump: Thought it was a hilarious idea and I hadn't seen it before. I also liked the opportunities for improvised weapons and random junk Tributes could find. It also meant there would always be enough food.

Farm: I live on a farm lol. Also the wheat field was a cool way to provide food. The long grass meant the Careers had a hard time finding Tributes, giving them an edge.

Jurassic Park: dinosaurs cool.

Badlands: I visited once. I thought the spiraling, banded rocks made a cool backdrop. I also liked the harshness, difficulty of finding water, wildlife, and the opportunity to take inspiration from Native American legendary creatures.

Mountain: I really love reading about mountain climbers and 8000 meter peaks. My favorite mountain is K2, so it was a natural. I liked how this one would be harsh and kill a lot on its own, but the Tributes could even the playing field by going high enough that the altitude slowed everyone.

Candyland: This was my favorite game to play with my grandfather. The original, not the ugly new art. Princess Lolly is a PRINCESS not just "Lolly". I liked the anarchic glee of how utterly horrible candyland would be in real life. I _hate_ when my hands are sticky, and the Tributes were sticky everywhere, every second for weeks, and scurvy and tooth decay. Plus gummy bears ha ha.

African rainforest: Animals and wildlife, obviously, but my main inspiration was Apocalypse Now. Yeah that was Vietnam but it was _based_ on Heart Of Darkness, which was in Africa. I liked the wet heaviness and the sodden mud.

Titanic: We all have our Titanic faze. This and MOA are my smallest Arenas, making the Games shorter and more intense. It let me corral Tributes together easily. It also played perfectly into my wish to have a young Tribute win by hiding, since there are a ton of hiding spots in the Titanic. It's the only one without any mutts, I think. I liked the luxurious juxtaposition of a cruise ship… of DEATH! And of course it could dramatically sink.

Savannah: Pretty simple, engaging biome. Cool animals, cool setting. An easy choice.

Underwater: I'd been mulling to over for a long time and finally decided to go full stupid. What a shock, amirite? What an audacious, gloriously stupid, utterly unforgettable spectacle. And that's what this is all about- the _spectacle._ It came with a ton of mutts and I also love reading about diving, so I could incorporate depressurization and stuff. This one came with the most logistics, of course. I had to invent a hypothetical underwater breathing and eating apparatus that didn't require an outside power source. But that was half the fun.

Scottish highlands: They were one of my favorite places I visited in Europe. I loved the geography. This is another one based on real life. The Arena is set in Crianlarch, the town I visited, and the hill Laurel's alliance went up was Ben More.

Mayan Rainforest: I liked the central temple as an eye-catcher and the other buildings for shelter. It came with a lot of cool Mesoamerican mutts. It fit my theme.

Military Bunker: Real life again. It's based on Fort Ripley, where I had my first foray into Marine Corps life. The alleys and openings formed by the buildings meant the Careers could bust out the military-style strategic training they all got to their fullest potential.

Graveyard: My finest moment, IMO. I love me some horror movies, and I have seen _all_ of them. From Nosferatu on, I know every decade of horror. I got to make the darkest, creepiest, most savage culmination of every dark bit of the Hunger Games. This was the biggest example of the Arena being a character. It was a genius loci that actively sapped the Tributes' sanity. There were endless mutts and I only wish it lasted longer so I could have done more. TAKE NOTE that this is the one I most want to see someone else redo.

Indian rainforest: I've been reading the Mahabharata and know a ton of cool stories I could incorporate. I really like all the cool monsters and got to pay homage to my favorite non-Christian god Kali.

Games building: Made sense since it was a Capitol-aimed Games.

Birthday party: I thought it was hilarious to put Calvary and Emma in fluffy dresses and appreciated the glorious irony of a birthday party death match.

Snow's mansion: I needed a small location since there weren't many Tributes. It fit Snow's hubris to make it his own mansion in a twisted show of Capitol hospitality.

Survivor Games: They're all set on islands. I always thought Tonga sounded like a cool country.

* * *

 **Arenas I have planned for the future** : little sneak peak for the curious. If you see anything you like, take it! I want to see how other people do them. It's not like I'm the first for most of these. Also please do remake ones I've done in the past. I want to see new ideas for those, too.

Normal Arenas:

Steppes- always thought they were cool, and I don't have many biomes yet

Forest- yeah boring, but it's also hospitable and has cover, which will lead to a lot of Tribute on Tribute violence. Cool mutts too.

Taiga- All those spruce trees for weapons and shelter. Biting cold for weeding out tributes.

Beach: Just a big long beach. Tributes drowning each other in shallow water. Tributes eating hermit crabs. Tributes throwing rocks.

Cave: Dark. Claustrophobic. Stygian. Victor will be half-blind.

Garden- like a huge botanical garden. Plants to eat, plants to hide in, plants to make poison, plants to dramatically drape across dead Tributes.

Amazon- can't for a while since I've had a few rainforests, but tell me anacondas and piranhas won't be awesome. Amazon Trail gave me all I need to know.

Tundra- yup, I'mma do it eventually. Wear a coat.

Mountain but not as tall- like Porter's Games.

Village of huts: cover and hiding places. This will be a long Games

Swamp: Get outta mah swamp. I really want to push trench foot farther than I did in the mangrove and channel the mucky stygian desperation of Apocalypse Now. And I currently live in New Orleans so I got plenty to inspire me.

Castle: So much potential in weaponry and chases. Plus dragons.

Silly Arenas:

Wild West: Like a whole village. I love westerns.

Factory: all dingy and industrial. Like the boiler room in Nightmare on Elm Street

Toy store: Because lol getting killed with a toy.

Egyptian temple sort of thing: Duh that's just cool

Hospital: Syringes shudder

Zoo: Because that would be awesome

Amusement Park: Some tribute tosses another off a roller coaster how cool is that? PLus food from the stands.

Circus, maybe: same as above.

Playground: I had this in an unseen Games but that sounds so fun I want to do it for real.

Skyscraper: Gonna have 24 John McClanes.

Next Survivor story: an African-based fake country. Survivor: Africa was a good one. Or maybe another island. They have such cool visuals.

Next Resurrection story: Probably a fake church.

 **If you have a suggestion, please do tell me! I get lots of cool ideas from readers, like the Egyptian Arena. I especially need Resurrection ideas.**

* * *

 **Problems with Arenas I see in other stories:**

A ton of castles. Yeah I'm gonna do it too so I'm a hypocrite, but I suggest this not be your first. I've just seen so many.

Super duper complicated Arenas: A _lot_ of stories have either Arenas divided into twelve for each District, or Arenas with two or more wildly different biomes. I get wanting to be cool, but you're just watering them all down. You won't get the full potential of any of them and you've wasted multiple Arenas. Plus your tributes will be all weirdly spread out and you're basically writing four Arenas, which is more work.

Just plain stupid Arenas: Okay, I did the underwater one, not innocent. But I've seen some that were just trying too hard. One was a giant candle and it just seemed like the author thought it was really cool but it wasn't. The Tributes apparently couldn't tell and it's like, they're standing on a candle? I would know if I was standing on wax? I generally go with anything but just don't go crazy. If you make _me_ think it's stupid, it must be really bad.

* * *

 **Summary:**

Don't take your Arena lightly. It can enhance your story endlessly and give you tons of inspiration. Let it shape the Games and let the needs of the Games shape it. You're making a tiny world. Exult in it.


End file.
